


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by Soupernabturel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel ornament!Cas, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree!Dean, Christmas fic, I Don't Even Know, M/M, One Shot, obligatory christmas fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:22:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5355659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupernabturel/pseuds/Soupernabturel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At Christmas time once a year, Dean is taken out of his box.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

**Author's Note:**

> Obligatory Christmas fic: unedited/unbetaed/unread
> 
> [My Tumblr](soupernabturel.tumblr.com)

At Christmas time, in the depths of the basement, Dean would stretch his tiny plastic branches and open his awareness; coming out of hibernation. The box he resided within was cramped and old, mouse bitten and fraying but he did not mind, for he knew he would be leaving it soon.

 

Christmas time was here.

 

Carried out of his box, up the rickety stairs into the lounge room, Dean tried to keep his excitement under wraps. He waited patiently as he was set up- as the children about his base stuck ornaments here, and tinsel there. He enjoyed the process; the way the children smiled as they decorated him, how each and every ornament made him all pretty and new, as though he hadn't spent the last year down in the dregs of the basement where other such seasonal items were buried. Surfboards and tennis balls, old baby clothes and brooms, the basement was filled with everything, including other Christmas decorations.

 

Unusually Dean did have a favourite ornament (though Christmas trees should never have favourites),  a little angel, every year placed on the top of his branches, right at the tip of him. 

 

The Angel, Castiel, had glass blue eyes, bright white robes tied with golden string. He had a head of messy black hair, such an odd feature for an angel, creatures that (to Dean's knowledge) usually had hair like spun gold. 

  
  
Dean couldn't contain his excitement wriggling on his stand, his needles quivering. The mother of the children tutted and went to check if there was an open window.

 

The Angel was always the last to be put on, always done with such care and precision. When it was a younger child's turn they would be lifted up, chubby fingers wrapped around the Angel. Today however it was one of the older childrens turn, Castiel was sat atop of Dean quick smart, adjusted a bit to stick and then was awed. Castiel was always placed on the tippy-top of Dean's branches, which Dean knew would give him the best of all views of the Christmas proceedings.

  
Dean was marvelled with and played with for a bit, his lights flicked on and off. He was _oohed_ at and _ahhed_ at, until Dean felt as though he couldn't hold himself under control any longer, Cas was quiet and still, patiently waiting for them to be alone.

 

Just as Dean was fit to burst, the family moved on for dinner, and then bed leaving him alone, alone in the lounge room his rainbow lights set at a steady rhythmic pulse.

 

Dean beared the silence for all but a moment before he stretched his plastic and wire branches up and out in a stretch.

 

 **Hey Cas.** He rustled to the little angel above him.

 

The little angel shifted, stretching, becoming accustomed once more to being outside of his box.

 

“Hello Dean,” he said, and Dean could hear his porcelain lips turn up in a smile.

 

Dean couldn't stop wriggling. He felt as though his needles were shining ten-fold, that his trunk was at it's thickest, as it's strongest and that he would sprout flowers at any moment. 

 

They simply relaxed in each others company for the longest time, marvelling at the fact that after so long time they were reunited. Together again, finally able to touch-

 

After the initial awe had worn off they picked up right where they had left off the Christmas before. It was inevitable given how long each of them spent in hibernation, that their conversations would walk upon familiar grooves.

  
  
"Is it Lonely?"  Castiel asked (not for the first time) one evening several days before Christmas. "Being kept in the basement not in the cupboard with the rest of the decorations?"

 

 **Is it Lonely being the only angel decoration year after year?** Dean whispered, the ornaments of his branches jingled slightly as he did.

 

There was no need to answer either question, each knew as well as the other how lonely every day outside of Christmas could be. Time moved differently for Christmas trees, for porcelain angels, and while Dean enjoyed the time he had with Castiel (essentially the month of December) he dreaded the end fo the holiday season, feared that awful day when he would once again be put back in his box, and Castiel back in the cupboard, separate from each other.

 

His heart ached at the thought.

 

 **You could hide in my branches,** said Dean on Christmas Eve.  **You could hide and then when I'm put away you can come with me.**

 

He shuffled his branches to emphasise his idea. But felt a little foolish for voicing it aloud.

 

Castiel asked for elaboration and so Dean elaborated.

 

"Dean," Castiel said after, feathered wings wrapped tight around himself, "I can't climb down in there! I may fall!" 

 

The thought of Castiel cracking or shattering his delicate porcelain body, or crumpling and ruining those beautiful feathery wings was devastating to Dean.

 

 **I'll catch you,** hesaid sincerely.

 

Castiel kissed the closest branch he could reach.

 

It made Dean feel warm, but that could have been his lights heating.

 

Dean existed in the Christmas spirit, soaked up the joy and merriment around him. He was _oohed_ at and _ahhed_ at again by new relatives of the family and new people, but it was more so the gifts beneath him that captivated the real attention. Dean did not mind, this was always his favourite part. It was Castiel's favourite too, he listened with a kind smile (that Dean could feel in his -figurative- roots) to Dean's comments on the gifts, on the family, on the glitter and glitz that spilt from each unwrapped parcel.

 

It wasn't till later that Dean and Cas were finally alone and when Castiel was able to shimmy down from the highest branches. Dean held as still as he could so Castiel could gather his grip. He flared his wings out several times in an attempt to balance himself and made a small sound, like a tiny  _ting_ like the soundof wind chimes.  

 

Dean chuckled (or at least the tree equivalent) and spread out his needles, Cas' touches were gentle encircling his needles which he used to hold onto so he could step down.

 

 **You alright?** Dean asked.

 

"Stay still,"  Castiel murmured instead of answering, and wrapped both arms around Dean's wire trunk.

 

It took every in Dean not to fall off his stand. He hoped that his plastic needles were not too uncomfortable, but Castiel seemed not to mind, running his hand over the needles closest to him, hugging close to Dean's base.

 

They stayed together like that well until morning, and then into the afternoon. Castiel's absence was not noticed until almost the end of boxing day. The family searched for him around Dean's base.

 

They removed Deans ornaments, his baubles and his tinsel, Castiel clung to the most covered part of Dean, shielding himself from being seen. 

 

 **It's working** , Dean whispered, as his box was laid out before him.

 

"Shhhsh!" Cas squeaked, then gave a small gasp when they were tipped forward and down. Dean, used to the movement, curled as much of his branches around Castiel as he could, keeping him steady.

 

Once in his box Castiel shifted to sit down against the cardboard, surrounded on all sides by a forest of green.

 

"Are you well?" he asked Dean, concern layering his voice.

 

Dean kept silent, aware that the family was still searching for Cas. He laid still and soon enough, was retrieved from the floor and carried downstairs. Castiel grew deathly silent amongst him, as they descended into the dark he gripped Dean a little tighter.

 

Unable to soothe him with words, Dean curled tighter still around the Christmas Angel, and stroked one gentle branch slowly between the ornament's wings.  

 

They came to a stop in Dean's usual place, high up above on of the cupboards. Unceremoniously Dean was placed, that meant the father had him. Up up up up he and Cas went to the tallest point of the attic, where should they have so wanted to they could have seen all.

 

Retreating footsteps, the sound of a door closing-

 

They were left in the dark, the only light snuck in occasionally from upstairs lighting up Cas' bootle-glass blue eyes.

 

"It worked," he said, surprise evident.

 

 **It worked!** agreed Dean, and then he sashayed, a little giddy inside of his box, making it rustle. **It worked Cas!**

 

Castiel joined him in celebration. He laughed, a sound like clear crystal, and rolled about Dean's branches. He hugged Dean tight and pressed little jubilant kisses to the green plastic of him.

 

Dean was utterly convinced that if he could have sprouted flowers he would have in that moment, big blue ones- to match the angels eyes.

 

"Neither of us shall be lonely any longer!" Castiel declared, as though such a law were possible for him to make.

 

Dean rustled in joy as a reply.

 

They celebrated well into the night (or morning, it was impossible to tell from the basement) But eventually Cas began to situate himself. He made a bed of Dean's green needles and extra fabric, dragging it up (with some effort) to Dean's box. They talked of all the things they never had the time for over Christmas, and all the things it had never felt the right moment to say. Conversation was endless as was absent touches. Castiel stroked as much of Dean as he could reach almost constantly, and Dean returned the favour making himself extra plump and comfortable for the angel. 

 

For what could have been days or weeks or even months they caught up on everything. In the lulls; Castiel nestled in Dean's branches, pulled his wings in around both himself, and a section of Dean's trunk hugging and holding the both of them.

 

And in the dark they rested together.


End file.
